300,000 doses of bivalent vaccines against COVID-19 would arrive in Ecuador this month

Ecuador will soon begin to place the bivalent vaccine against COVID-19.

Last January, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) approved the use of these vaccines in the country.

The Minister of Health, José Ruales, mentioned that the request has already been made through the Covax fund, which was a global collaboration initiative to accelerate the development and production of tests, treatments and vaccines against COVID-19 and guarantee access fair to them.

He explained that bivalent vaccines are made up of two different strains: the so-called ancestral and those that were frequent in the past months.

COE resolved to resume the voluntary use of the mask in open or closed spaces due to the reduction in cases of respiratory diseases

For this reason, he maintained, a vaccine is needed that is as close as possible to the omicron variants or to the variants of the new strains that are circulating.

He added that the first 300,000 doses of Pfizer’s bivalent vaccine will be purchased, which is what has been offered to the Government.

That State portfolio expects the doses to arrive in this month of February to be able to start vaccinating risk groups.

“Those groups that are at risk of death, which are people over 60 years of age, the vaccine and the booster, the first booster and the second booster, the third and fourth doses protect people at 90% of the risk of death” the official said.

Doctors explained that what these bivalent vaccines do is adapt to new variants so that the body is ready to defend itself.

In the last month there was a sustained reduction in coronavirus cases in Ecuador, the Ministry of Health reported in a statement. There were 656 cases and no records were
increase after the December festivities.

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Ruales pointed out that despite the fact that one or two deaths have occurred in recent weeks, there are still deaths and they are from people over 60 years of age with incomplete vaccination schedules.

Until February 2, according to figures from the vaccinometer, a tool created by the MSP to see how the vaccination plan is progressing, the first reinforcement was received by 55.94% of the population (7,693,804 people) and the second, 2 ′768,694 citizens.

For this reason, he added, this scheme must be completed with the vaccine that exists in the country, which is Sinovac, and for this year people at that level of risk, those over 60 years of age, people with vulnerability due to having a disease with immunosuppression, HIV, with organ transplants, the most susceptible will be vaccinated.

He indicated that they hope, at the same time, as soon as the revolving fund of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) informs them, they can acquire additional doses, although he did not specify the amount. (YO)